Notices

Would You Like to serve on the Clermont Library Board?

The Clermont County Common Pleas Court is looking for a member of the community to fill a vacancy on the Clermont County Library Board of Trustees; the term of the appointment runs from January 2018 through December 2024.

Trustees must be registered voters in Clermont County, will serve without compensation, and must be able to attend meetings that are scheduled at 6 p.m. on the second Monday of each month at the Union Township Library. Members of the community interested in the position should submit a brief resume and a letter stating their interest in becoming a library trustee. Send the resume and letter to Clermont County Common Pleas Court, c/o Court Administrator, 270 East Main Street, Batavia, Ohio 45103. Applications for the position are due by Wednesday, December 6, 2017.

With 10 branches throughout the county, the Clermont County Public Library is governed by a seven-member board of trustees appointed by the Board of Clermont County Commissioners and Judges of the Common Pleas Court. The board, in turn, hires the library director who implements policies and monitors operations.

Effective September 27, 2017, Local Rule 10 has been amended. Attorneys should take note of these changes and adjust their practices accordingly.

Ohio law provides a procedure where a party who is being stalked, menaced, or harassed by another person can get a court order (called a civil protection order) requiring that other person to stay away from and have no contact with the party seeking the order.

The Clermont County Common Pleas Court Adult Probation Department was established in 1955 and provided probation services to offenders in Clermont County. Today, there are two Adult Probation Departments in Clermont County serving Common Pleas and Municipal Courts.

The Common Pleas Adult Probation Department is located in the Common Pleas Courthouse at 270 East Main Street, Batavia. The Common Pleas Adult Probation Department provides services to felony cases.

Formed in 1801 even before Ohio became a state, the Common Pleas Court serves the people of Clermont County as the constitutionally created general jurisdiction trial court for the administration of justice within the county borders. The General Division of the Clermont County Common Pleas Court has original jurisdiction to hear all adult felony criminal cases and all civil cases regardless of the dollar amount in controversy. The Court also has the authority to issue injunctions and certain legal writs. The Court has appellate jurisdiction over the decisions of some state and local administrative agencies, boards, and commissions. In addition, the Court presides over the Clermont County Grand Jury, which has the power to hand down indictments in criminal cases. The Court is responsible for the operation of the Probation Department, which supervises those criminal defendants placed on community control as part of their sentence.

Jury Service

“In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed,…” Sixth Amendment, United States Constitution.

“I consider trial by jury as the only anchor yet devised by man, by which a government can be held to the principles of its constitution.” Thomas Jefferson, 1789 in correspondence to Thomas Paine.

“The right of trial by jury shall be inviolate,…” Article One, Section 5, The Bill of Rights of the Constitution of the State of Ohio.

“The jury is a central foundation of our justice system and our democracy. Whatever its imperfections in a particular case, the jury is a necessary check on governmental power. The jury, over the centuries, has been an inspired, trusted, and effective instrument for resolving factual disputes and determining ultimate questions of guilt or innocence in criminal cases. Over the long course its judgments find acceptance in the community, an acceptance essential to respect for the rule of law. The jury is a tangible implementation of the principle that the law comes from the people.In the era of our Nation’s founding, the right to a jury trial already had existed and evolved for centuries, through and alongside the common law. The jury was considered a fundamental safeguard of individual liberty.” U. S. Supreme Court Associate Justice Anthony Kennedy, in Pena-Rodriguez v. Colorado (2017)

JURY SERVICE

The Jury Commissioner is responsible for insuring that the Common Pleas Court has available sufficient jurors to hear and decide civil and criminal trials, thus affording everyone who comes to court their constitutional right to trial by a jury of their peers. The Jury Commissioner oversees the process for notifying citizens that they have been called for jury duty, orients the new jurors to their responsibilities, and assigns them to courtrooms as needed. The Jury Commissioner also handles requests to postpone or be excused from jury service. For additional details on jury service, please consult the Jury FAQs on this web site or see both parts of the jury orientation video on this web site.

GRAND JURY– In addition to making sure that there are enough jurors to hear and decide trials, the Jury Commission is also responsible for citizen service on the Grand Jury. The Grand Jury meets only once a week and does not hear trials. Instead, the Grand Jury evaluates evidence presented by the county prosecutor and determines which cases should be subject to indictment and prosecution. If you have been summoned for Grand Jury service or for more detailed information on the role and duties of the Grand Jury, please click Grand Jury Service Brochure.